Mail, some sent yrs. ago, popping up in Warrensburg mailboxes

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WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The daily mail has been full of surprises lately for the folks of Warrensburg. Some have been receiving mail more than two years old. It's all part of an ongoing investigation involving a postal carrier accused of stashing undelivered mail in his home.

Warrensburg resident John Zey said he's already hearing reports from friends about mail arriving at their homes that's been missing for years.

"A friend of mine at work said he got two letters and they were both old, but they were like two to three years apart and he couldn't understand it at all," Zey said.

A local business owner told FOX 4 News that she got several Christmas cards delivered just this month. As to why it took so long to reach her, the explanation can be found in a letter from the US Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

It states that in January a Warrensburg postal carrier was investigated on suspicion of interfering with mail delivery. FOX 4 News has learned that bins of mail were found stashed in his home.

The US Attorney's Office received the case last month and is now determining whether criminal charges will be filed.

It's the second time this year a Missouri postal employee has been investigated for keeping the mail, instead of delivering it.

In February, FOX 4 Problem Solvers discovered tons of mails stashed in a home belonging to Independence Post Office Supervisor Marcia Galapo. Her case has also been sent to the US Attorney's Office, which is determining whether criminal charges should be filed. As in Warrensburg, all the mail in Galapo's home has now been delivered.

11 comments

DC

“In February, FOX 4 Problem Solvers discovered tons of mails stashed in a home belonging to Independence Post Office Supervisor Marcia Galapo. Her case has also been sent to the US Attorney’s Office, which is determining whether criminal charges should be filed.”

Cindi

Retired Carrier

Absolutely! This is delay of first class mail, an actionable offense that should get the employee fired to begin with, and charged with numerous offenses through the Postal Inspectors’ office.

I’ve always wondered how these people get the mail to their homes to begin with. I mean, seriously; won’t SOMEONE see postal equipment being placed in a personal vehicle, much less unloaded into a house? And if the carrier’s house is on his/her route, wouldn’t the neighbors wonder why s/he was carrying postal trays into the house? It just boggles the mind.

DC

Jay

Well I think it funny that I live in Warrensburg and I get everyone else mail so is someone else getting my mail by mistake cause I try to forward it back when I get some else mail. I also wonder why when I mail something in Warrensburg it takes 2 weeks to get there or even if it does gets there BUT if I mail something in Holden it there within 3 days any where in the USA.
I have complained about the Mail trucks not having brake lights or turn signals that are working and I was told that the trucks are check daily by the Warrensburg Post office but still see the trucks with them not working SO I SAY THERE LOTS OF PROBLEMS THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Retired Carrier

Carriers are supposed to check their vehicles daily, including the lights. If the lights aren’t working, they’re supposed to file a dated report with their supervisors, who are supposed to contact VMF [Vehicle Maintenance Facility] for a repair. If they don’t have a local VMF, there’s a likelihood that it’ll take a while to get any repairs made.

That said, it’s a safety hazard. If you don’t get any results with the post office, try going above their heads; ask another local post office who to contact if you have an issue with your own office. If you still get no resolution, contact the Postal Inspectors. They don’t normally handle this kind of thing, but they may be able to help you get it fixed.

Dillon

I use to live in Warrensburg and I can verify with Jay that the lights are a problem.The mail swaps and time it takes has also always been a problem.I question and wonder if there should be an age limit to how old you can be to still work in a post office.I dearly respect seniors but I have notice a lot of slip ups are from mental problems after a certain age.For example where I currently reside there are seniors in my post office.There was a mix up in my brothers mail and my mail.My brother lives KS and I live in NE.He recived one of my weeks paychecks with a yellow address correction on it in his name.To the left it clearly showed my name and the two were confused.I brought it in to the post office after he brought it up to me during a visit.I showed them there mistake and then they continued to question whether that I am my brothers name.I pointed at my name on the letter a stated this is who I am and the yellow address is my brother.She then scratched her head and asked are you sure?.I said yes and then they tried to make it out to be our fault.Before her co-worker finally remembered filing through my brothers mail transfer card.Why wasen’t that the first thing she did I don’t know.Either way on a few other occasions they had shown signs of forgetfulness and confusion.This post office refuses to hire anyone under the age of 40, and I know many others that are the same way.They need to let go of pride and accept that the youth can be helpful in keeping things more organized, they are completely capable of running a post office.I do hope things get situated in Warrensburg and Independence soon.As for the ones under investigation; I hope they factor there mental stability into the picture before complete judgement.Now I am wondering how much of my living and deceased family members mail is floating around Warrensburg at this time.

Retired Carrier

The clerks and carriers don’t actually forward your mail, and computer does. Some mail your carrier pulls out and sends up to be forwarded, but some is culled by the machines before the carrier ever sees it. For the machine to pick up his name versus yours makes me wonder a couple of things: Have you had a shared address in the past from which this check was forwarded? Did you both have forwards in during the same time period? Are your first names similar [ie, the first three or four letters]? Have you been receiving all the rest of your mail properly and this is the only piece that was misdirected? The answers to those questions can have an impact on how the forwarding is handled.

There is no definitive age at which postal employees must retire, but the minimum is usually 58 if I understand correctly. [I just retired at 42 due to medical issues.] Military service can allow for younger retirement, or an offer of VERA [Voluntary Early Retirement A-something] which usually only applies to those who have been employed thirty years. Carriers are the last craft to be offered VERA because we are the most essential employees.

If an employee shows mental incompetence, it is incumbent upon management to address that. Because of the union [I strongly support the union but disagree with some policies] they probably can’t be fired or forced to retire, but they can be nudged in that direction. If they’re of the proper retirement age, unrelated postal agencies [retirement and benefits offices] can begin that nudging process.

I find it slightly offensive that you say your office won’t hire anyone under 40 and that they are virtually all mentally incompetent. I’m 42 and just as sharp as ever; we have carriers in their 60s who are doing a great job, better even than some of our 20-year-olds. The fact that those clerks and/or carriers are inefficient and incompetent may be due to complacency in their jobs rather than mental issues. When you get to a certain point in your situation, many people just lose interest in doing the best possible job. Most of our carriers above the age of thirty [mostly regular, 40+ hour per week, on one route, with an average of about 45 years old] are involved with their customers and dedicated to doing a good job. I was one of those for the eight years I carried, and many of our oldest carriers are so devoted to their customers that they go to weddings and funerals, give or receive garden-raised vegetables, and check on the elderly every day.

Jay

Ok IT IS NOW 4 WEEKS and my truck payment has not made it to CA. I have called the post office and I have emailed the higher up guess what NO RESPONSE. I mailed this at DD hwy and SE 421 rd in Warrensburg and looks like to me this mail receiver has not been check for a while cause there spider webs all over it and where you open to get the mail. Guess who will have to pay the late payment cause people are not doing there jobs that right I WILL I SURE DON’T SEE THE POST OFFICE DOING IT. For the people who will say you should have certified it and have them sign for it I want to say is this I have mailed payments before and never had problems but since this above incident has happen in the news I have notice more and more problems with the mail here in Warrensburg. I wish I could do my job half way or not at all and still have a job.
I have notice that the brake lights and turn signals are now working an the mail the truck that delivers my mail.
BUT I am still getting other people mail too.